A/N: Sincere apologies for the lengthy delay in updates. Assignments kinda took over my life for a while there. But I promise I'm going to try and get the next chapter along much quicker!
When Santana woke up the next morning, it was to the tickle of warm breath on the back of her neck and the shimmer of the first rays of sunlight creeping across her face. Her eyelids fluttered, unwilling to open fully as she was tugged from peaceful, dreamless slumber. It wasn't till a few minutes later, when the body behind her shifted slightly, that she finally returned to the world of consciousness.
Turning her head carefully, slowly, Santana peeked over her shoulder to see Brittany dozing behind her, one arm wrapped protectively around the brunette's stomach while the other was stretched out underneath her neck. A shy smile pulled at Santana's lips as memories of the previous night flooded her thoughts and she tentatively turned in the girl's arms, feeling their bare skin rubbing together.
She wondered if she should feel more vulnerable, lying naked in Brittany's bed, their bodies tangled together intimately. She knew she should worry more about what their impulsive, passionate encounter had meant. But all she could focus on was how beautiful and serene Brittany looked while she slept... Her lips parted slightly, her chest rising and falling as she breathed, her golden hair messy and splayed over her face and the pillow... She looked almost angelic in the early morning light.
Santana couldn't help but reach out and run her fingertips ever so gently over the girl's faintly freckled cheek and down her neck. A light blush crept onto her face as she noticed a small hickey on Brittany's pulse point, evidence that what had happened last night was very real indeed. She grinned shyly to herself, forcing back the brief surge of pride and hopeful ownership, before allowing her fingers to continue their journey over Brittany's firm, pale stomach, all the way down to where the sheet obscured her view further, draped across their hips. Brittany's eyebrows furrowed and her nose scrunched up cutely as she shivered in her sleep from the touch.
'Butterflies are eating all the marshmallows again.' Brittany murmured, still deeply within the realms of slumber.
Santana's chest shook as she forced down a giggle. She talks in her sleep. Like she wasn't adorable enough before...
Drawing her palm along the perfect curve of Brittany's hip, Santana leaned in and whispered quietly into the blonde's ear. 'What was that B?'
'I told them not to let her play in the stream after lunchtime. Her hooves will be all muddy...' Brittany mumbled again, her forehead creasing in concentration as she slept.
Again, Santana had to control her laughter. 'Wake up Britt... Come back to me.' She pressed a soft kiss to Brittany's cheek and waited.
'Mmmmghh... Lord Tubbington in the library with a candlestick.'
Santana couldn't hold it back anymore. Quiet chuckles fell from her lips as she brushed a few strands of hair from Brittany's face and kissed her more firmly on the mouth.
Finally, Brittany's eyes began to open and a smile instantly graced her lips when she saw Santana grinning freely. 'Mmm... Morning.'
'Hey.' Santana replied, still laughing slightly. 'Did you sleep well?' Her fingers continued to toy with the tips of blonde hair as she spoke.
'Mhmm.' Brittany nodded and tightened her grip around Santana's waist, pulling their bodies closer together so should could bury her face into a tanned shoulder. 'Comfy.'
Santana's cheeks began to hurt as she smiled even wider, dropping her hand down to run over the impossibly soft skin of Brittany's shoulder as their bodies tangled and pressed up against each other. Normally, she wasn't very comfortable cuddling with people while she was naked. In the past, whenever she'd slept with someone, she'd instantly felt the need to put clothes on because of the sickening churn of exposure that settled in the pit of her stomach. With Brittany though, it was the exact opposite. She felt safe and content. She felt like being naked in her arms was the most natural and soothing feeling in the entire world.
'Mmm... You smell good.' Brittany muttered, her lips ghosting over the skin at the crook of Santana's neck.
'Thanks.' Santana giggled. She returned the compliment by lightly dragging her hand up and down Brittany's spine, drawing a tiny shudder from the blonde before she pulled her head back to let their eyes meet.
Flawless blue invaded Santana's every thought and her breath caught at the sight. It felt as though Brittany was looking straight into her soul, breaking through every barrier, crashing past every wall. It was incredibly intimidating... and yet somehow reassuring at the same time. 'You're so beautiful.' She whispered, the words tumbling from her lips before she could even think about them. Her cheeks began heating up and she leaned forward to connect their lips in a tender kiss.
Brittany smiled against her mouth and returned the kiss with a sigh, sucking softly on Santana's bottom lip for a long moment before they parted again. 'I'm sorry if I got a little... carried away last night...' Now it was the blonde's turn to blush. 'I... I didn't mean to be so... forceful.' She chewed on her bottom lip shyly as she glanced up at the brunette through long, pale eyelashes.
Santana cupped Brittany's cheek in her hand affectionately and shook her head. 'Last night was... amazing.'
Brittany grinned brightly and pecked at her cheek. 'Wonderful.'
'Hot...' Santana drawled, lowering her hand to the blonde's hip once again and pulling her closer. Suddenly, their nakedness was driven to the forefront of her mind and morphed from something that was relaxing and soft to a slow burn, lighting up and sparking every inch of her to life. She bowed her head to nip at Brittany's exposed neck, soothing over the faded bruise she'd left there, before trailing kisses down over her chest. The girl whimpered in response.
'So hot...' Brittany replied, grabbing Santana's face in their hands to rejoin their lips in a passionate kiss.
Trailing her tongue over the blonde's lips, Santana felt her heart jump when Brittany opened her mouth wider to deepen the kiss. Hands began wandering, trailing over stomachs and covering breasts... and just as Santana was about to move on top of the girl beside her to connect their bodies more fully, a loud ringing pierced their perfect little bubble.
Santana stilled and withdrew, looking over at Brittany with a hint of confusion in her eyes.
The blonde groaned and slammed her hand against the mattress. 'Sorry.' She mumbled, placing a quick kiss on Santana's lips before slipping out from under her and climbing out of bed. She strolled out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, snatching the phone up from its perch on the wall.
Santana's body deflated in disappointment at the interruption. She already felt the loss of Brittany all over her skin and watching the blonde standing there talking into the receiver, naked and oh so tempting, was frustrating to say the least. Even if her sexual frustration had been given a nice shot of relief last night, getting worked up again only to be cut short by an intrusive early morning phone call was enough to make her want to scream.
Again, the thought crossed her mind that she should be worried about what this all meant... where they stood... how Brittany felt... but she couldn't find it within herself to care as the blonde turned slightly and she caught sight of her perfectly toned ass, teasing and firm in the faint light of the kitchen.
When Brittany finally hung up from the call and slid back under the covers, Santana was ready to pounce.
'It was work.' The blonde sighed dejectedly. 'One of the girls called in sick and they couldn't find anyone else to cover.'
Santana tried not to show her immense disappointment at the news. 'Oh... You have to go then?'
'I'm sorry.' Brittany frowned, scooting over to wrap the Latina up in her arms once again before kissing her nose. 'I wanted to make you breakfast in bed and everything...'
Santana smiled sadly. 'It's okay.'
Brittany buried her face in her neck and grumbled. 'I don't want you to leave.' She sounded like a child who'd just been told they couldn't have any ice cream for the next month.
'Me either.' Santana sighed, placing a gentle kiss against the top of her head. Even with Brittany acting so cute and clingy, she felt the dread creeping into her chest. They weren't going to have the chance to talk about what happened last night. She was going to leave and... Well, then what?
While last night had been amazing and incredibly hot... it wouldn't exactly be considered love making. It was rushed and frantic and not nearly as tender and careful as she had expected their first time to be. And without knowing if they were both on the same page about where their relationship stood, Santana was beginning to feel nervous. Even though the girl's actions suggested anything but, she needed to hear from Brittany's mouth this wasn't just a one-time thing. The insecurities of her past demanded that reassurance.
'Ugh.' Brittany groaned, finally extracting herself from Santana's body. 'Okay... I'm up. I'm up.'
They dressed in silence and when Brittany walked Santana to the door, she wrapped her arms around her waist and leaned in for a soft kiss.
'Are you gonna be okay getting home? I would totally give you a ride but they said it's really busy there and they need me like ASAP.' Brittany offered thoughtfully.
'Yeah. I'll be fine.'
Brittany studied her for a second before accepting the reply with a warm smile. 'Okay. I'll call you later.'
'You better.' Santana quipped, hoping the slight desperation she felt didn't filter into her voice.
Brittany just giggled and nodded, pressing another quick kiss to her lips before releasing her from her grasp.
The moment the door closed behind her though, Santana's heart sank. The girl that she'd just left behind held her heart in the palm of her hands. She'd never felt so terrified and vulnerable before. And even if there had been no signs from Brittany that things were going any less than perfect, she was on the verge of tears.
She was overwhelmed by all of the emotion. She could hardly contain it.
And if she couldn't stay to make sure of things with Brittany right now, she at least needed to talk to someone who would understand.
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'Well hello there Casanova. How'd the big date go?' Kurt announced brightly from the other end of the phone line.
'Hey... Can you uh... can you let me in? I'm in front of your building.' Santana kicked at tiny pebble with her bare foot.
Upon leaving Brittany's, she'd decided to walk the short distance to Kurt's apartment. After all, it was on her way home and she had felt more inclined to take the long way on foot (even if that meant literally on foot since there was no chance in hell she was walking the whole way in her unforgiving heels) as opposed to catching a bus or a cab. That way she had more of a chance to digest her swirling thoughts.
'Sure.' He said carefully. 'Are you alright?'
'Yeah I'm fine. Just... open the door.'
'Okay. One sec.'
Santana hung up and let out a heavy breath as she waited. She wasn't sure how she was going to explain away the fact that she was wearing last night's wrinkled clothes... or her obvious sex hair... She looked the epitome of the walk of shame and Kurt was going to figure everything out within about two seconds of being in her presence. Not that she had really planned on hiding what happened between her and Brittany last night from him. She just knew he wasn't going to be impressed. She could almost hear his lecturing tone that would reprimand her for 'rushing into things' already.
Santana wasn't ashamed though. Yes, things had moved very fast over the last few hours. And she was terrified and emotionally consumed by it all... but was there really anything to worry about? Brittany wasn't the kind of girl that would just blow her off now that they'd slept together... right?
'Well now, you didn't have to get all dressed up on my account.' Kurt laughed as he let her into the building.
Santana offered Kurt a weak smile and quickly brushed past him into the building.
'Hang on...' He eyed her suspiciously.
Here it comes...
'That outfit isn't for me is it?' Kurt prodded as he followed her up the staircase towards his apartment. 'It isn't even for today...'
'Uh... no?' Santana winced.
'Santana...' Kurt questioned warily. 'Where did you spend the night?'
'Out?' She blushed and attempted to hide behind her hair as they entered his apartment and sat down at the kitchen counter.
Kurt groaned and crossed his arms over his chest. 'You slept with her didn't you?'
Santana hesitated for a long moment before replying. 'Maybe?'
Kurt instantly rolled his eyes and threw his hands up in the air. 'What happened to taking things slowly? I thought you wanted to get it right this time?'
'I do!' Santana insisted, finally making eye contact with her friend. 'It just sort of... happened.'
'Sex does not just happen! You're a consenting adult. You knew what you were doing.'
'I just... I couldn't help it.' She sighed. 'I mean... we couldn't help it. Brittany took me on this really romantic date, and we had dinner and there was dancing and... it was really hot and then... she asked me back to her apartment and...' She shrugged. 'I don't know. Things got... out of hand.'
'It was only your first date Santana.' Kurt shook his head in frustration. 'You realize that this could have a huge effect on what comes next don't you?'
'Yeah. I know.' Santana replied solemnly, biting on her lower lip thoughtfully. 'I didn't exactly plan for things to go this way... not at all.'
There was a long pause in conversation as Kurt gave a few more disappointed sighs and deep breaths.
'How was it this morning? Were things awkward?'
'Not really.' Santana said slowly. 'She was actually heaps cuddly... and sweet. She said she wanted to make me breakfast in bed. But she got called into work to cover someone's shift.'
Kurt gave a small grin at that. 'When are you going to see her again?'
Santana shrugged. 'I'm not sure. She said she'd call.'
'Hmm...' Kurt leant across the counter to watch her closely. 'I can't say that it was the best decision to rush into the physical stuff so early but... if you're happy...?' He trailed off, leaving the question hanging in the air.
Santana nodded. 'I am happy. Really happy.' She glanced away momentarily and her brow creased. 'But... that's what scares me. I don't know what we are now. She had to rush out and we didn't get a chance to talk about where things are headed or... anything really.'
Kurt bobbed his head in agreement. 'You need to figure that out. You have to be open with each other about what you want. Otherwise someone could end up getting hurt.'
Santana snorted. 'Yeah. Me.'
Kurt laughed airily. 'Not just you.' He reached over the counter and took her hand. 'You know as well as I do - sex complicates things. And if you're not as ready to communicate verbally as you are physically, it could go badly in a lot of different ways.'
Santana sighed and shot him a feeble smile. 'Why do you think I came here to see you straight away? I started freaking out as soon as I left her place. I don't think I could handle it if things didn't work out now Kurt.' She looked into his eyes sincerely. 'To know what it's like to have her, even just for one night, and then have that taken away? I just... I can't go through that. Sometimes when she looks at me... I feel like I'm the only thing in the world that matters. I don't wanna lose that.'
'I know honey.' Kurt smiled softly. 'You won't... It's gonna be okay.'
Santana let out a deep breath. 'I just don't wanna get ahead of myself you know? I don't wanna let myself feel that emotional high if I have to come crashing back down to earth.' Santana laughed ironically at herself. 'I can't believe I fell so hard for someone again... After I promised myself that I never would.'
Kurt raised an eyebrow at her. 'No... If I recall correctly, you said you were going to wait for the right one... the one that was worth it...'
Santana stared at him quizzically. 'But-'
'How can you know for sure that girl is Brittany... right?' Kurt grinned. 'I don't know much about women sweetie, but I've never seen anyone look at each other the way you two do... Rushing into things or not, if that ain't meant to be, I don't know what is.'
'You really think so?'
'I do.' Kurt nodded. 'You love her.'
Santana opened her mouth to protest but Kurt shook his head.
'Please San. Don't even bother lying. I know you do.' He smirked knowingly.
Santana rolled her eyes at him, trying to force down the dark blush rising in her cheeks. 'Okay... yeah I do.'
'Mhmm. That's what I thought.'
'Do you... do you think she loves me too?'
Kurt took a moment to consider his response. 'You won't know for sure until you ask her.'
Santana's heart jumped at the suggestion. She knew Kurt had no possible way of knowing what Brittany really felt for her. And even though she wasn't going to start declaring her true feelings this early in the relationship for fear of scaring the girl off, she hoped that Brittany was at least on her way to reciprocating her love in some form or another. Considering how Brittany had held her when they woke up just a few hours before and the sweet glances she shot her way, Santana was sure that there was definitely something going on beneath the surface. But she didn't know how deep it all went.
'How was it anyways?' Kurt snapped her from her thoughts with a mischievous grin.
'How was what?' Santana asked blankly.
'You know...?' His grin turned to a wide, cheeky smile and he nudged her playfully in the shoulder.
Santana couldn't help but laugh. 'It was incredible.'
'Oooh.' Kurt wiggled his eyebrows at her. 'That good hey?'
'Oh yeah.' Santana winked.
'Well that's a plus.' He giggled.
'Most definitely.'
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After Kurt had helped to calm her nerves, Santana finally made her way home, took a soothing shower and changed into some comfy clothes. Luckily, her parents were out and she was allowed the opportunity to spend the better part of her day watching old episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and replaying the previous night over and over in her head. In a way, it was nice to take some time to think about everything that had happened between the two of them and let it fully sink in. Although, the visuals of their activities still made her blush and her stomach twist nervously... and the building apprehension that came with not knowing exactly where they stood meant that she had to stop herself several times from picking up the phone to call Brittany when she knew the girl was probably still at work.
But Santana realized that, in the long run, maybe she was better off having the day to herself... And by nightfall, she concluded that she had dwelled on her feelings long enough and it was time to make a move.
She found Brittany's name in her contacts and hit the call button.
It was only when the girl answered that she remembered Brittany had promised to call her and jumping the gun like this might be seen as a little overzealous.
'Hey Santana. I was just about to call you.' Brittany answered brightly.
'Hey.' She tried to sound nonchalant despite feeling embarrassed at her eagerness. 'Yeah sorry. I was just uh... bored. Wanted to see how you were doing.'
She heard Brittany giggle on the other end. 'I'm good. How was your day?'
'Eh.' Santana shrugged and then rolled her eyes at herself when she realized Brittany couldn't see her. 'It was okay. Just hung out and stuff... How was work?'
'Sucky.' Brittany complained cutely. 'I wish I didn't have to leave in such a hurry this morning... I really wanted to spend the day with you.'
Santana couldn't stop the grin from ensnaring her lips. 'Really? You weren't sick of me?'
'No silly! Of course not. I could never get sick of you.'
They shared a flirtatious laugh which quickly faded into semi-awkward silence.
Santana cleared her throat. 'Listen Britt... uh... can we... can we talk about what happened last night?'
'What's wrong?' She heard Brittany's worry over the phone and, not wanting the girl to get the wrong idea, moved quickly to amend the tone of conversation.
'Nothing... I just... What comes next? I mean, I know last night was a... a date... and then after... we uh...' Santana trailed off, nervously coughing again before she continued. 'Are we... I mean... are you... my... girlfriend now?'
Santana felt her heart thudding away impatiently in her chest as she finished the question. She was laying it all on the line here and if Brittany turned her down now, she wasn't sure what she would do with herself.
'Do you... want me to be your girlfriend?' Brittany asked - her voice quiet and a little curious.
Santana swallowed hard. 'More than anything.'
She could have sworn that the bed dropped out from underneath her when she heard Brittany's shaky breath carry over the line.
After what felt like an eternity, the girl finally spoke up and there was no mistaking the smile in her voice. 'Well then... I guess we're girlfriends.'
'Yeah...' Santana replied, dazed and barely able to stop the elation for splitting her face in two. 'I guess we are.'
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And so, this officially begins a whole new section of the story. Hope you liked it!
